From the Church: Using the Term "Mormon"

The most common way for the public to identify members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is by the term "Mormons." How the Church feels about that term and its appropriateness in classifying members or aspects of the Church is a common topic of conversation. For instance, earlier this month, a front-page article in The Salt Lake Tribune addressed the issue.

People began referring to Latter-day Saints as "Mormons" in the 19th century shortly after the Church was established. The word comes from the Book of Mormon, a sacred book of scripture used by Mormons in addition to the Bible. The nickname stuck and has been used by Church members ever since as a shorthand version of "Latter-day Saints."